austraLasia 910
Australia: Rector Major busy with confreres, young
people, Salesian Family.
His message - 'Launch into the
deep'!
MELBOURNE: October 18th '04 -- The
first visit of the current Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez Villanueva, to the
Australian province is now mid-stream. Within a few hours he crosses the
date-line to the east, to arrive in another part of the Province, Samoa,
before returning through Sydney, onto Darwin and then on to the Vice
province of East Timor. The entire visit has been characterised as a visit
of animation, of listening and also of celebration.
The Rector Major spent his entire first day
in a listening mode with the Provincial Council, followed on the Saturday by a
day spent with the Council and the Rectors of the Province. Fr Chávez has
made it a point to meet with Rectors wherever he goes, recognising the
importance of leadership at the level of local communities. On this
occasion Fr Chávez spoke at length on aspects of Salesian Religious Life and the
leadership of the Rector. There was time for sharing between all
present.
On Sunday, Fr Chávez blessed and opened the
new Province Centre of the Salesian of Don Bosco at Ascot Vale, a suburb to the
north west of the city of Melbourne. This was very much a Salesian Family
occasion. Before the blessing, he expanded on the meaning of this word and
its symbolism: 'God has been very good, full of kindness...he has made fruitful
the Salesian presence in Australia, so that from here it has reached out to
Samoa and Fiji; He gives us today this new Province Centre'. He went on to
explain that 'this Centre is called to be a true house for all the confreres,
lay collaborators and guests. May they always feel at home! (It is
to be) a model of the religious, educative and pastoral community we want
to build in every Salesian presence, a centre of the missionary zeal that should
identify all members of the Salesian Family'. He reminded those present
that Don Bosco's message, if he were present, would be a missionary message - Go
forth into the deep, get into your boats, do all things in a new
way.
The Monday morning, 18th, saw Fr Chávez at
inner city Brunswick where the Salesians have a large youth centre and
hostel. Here he met with young leaders who have already taken up his
challenge in a programme of 'accepting life, experiencing God and serving
others' based on the 2004 Strenna and to be implemented throughout 2005.
The leaders and the adults accompanying them came from Salesian Centres
throughout the province.
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'austraLasia' is
an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia-Pacific. It functions
also as an agency for ANS, based in Rome. Try also www.bosconet.aust.com Are you
aware of the famous ´promise of charity´ on 26th January 1854? These days
it would be a suitable reflection for 'Australia Day', also celebrated on 26th
January each year. For
further comment cf Lexisdb
